


Snake in the Grass

by Browa123



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Government Conspiracy, Gray Ghost, Identity Reveal, Not Phantom Planet Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-03-07 15:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18875815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browa123/pseuds/Browa123
Summary: Wes Weston has been spying on Danny Fenton for almost three years now, in order to expose him for what he really is. But, in his efforts, he stumbles across an even deeper mystery.There's hushed whispers in the halls. The exchange of information. Something dangerous is going on behind the dark curtains of this stage.And an unlikely trio finds themselves caught in the middle of it all, the last line of defense against something that might mean the end of two worlds...





	1. The Premonition

**Author's Note:**

> Expansion and Continuation of Nomii's Phic Phight Prompt
> 
> Read the original fill here:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18278876/chapters/43784842

Casper High. The only high school in the world's most haunted city. In these halls, there is every kind of kid you could imagine. The popular, the pretty, the nerd, the weird. Outcasts, flocks, geeks and jocks. Cheerleaders and cheer followers of every kind roam these halls six hours every five days.

And yet, the most enigmatic of all had to be Danny Fenton.

On the outside, the kid looks pretty normal. Scrawny, with baggy jeans and a t-shirt that's barely less average than one that would just be plain white. It's not a face one would see in a crowd, a passing glance doesn't make him look worthwhile to the common people.

But Wes Weston isn't like the common people. At least, he likes to think it. Because Wes knows things that others don't. He's seen things that no one else bothers to look for. And one of these days, he's going to show what he knows to the world, and be labeled a hero.

Yes, Wes has seen things that no one else has. He knows something deep, something those less observant don't. And for over a year now, he's been on the trail of a dirty little secret. And it's no small scale bit of information. Not in the slightest.

It's big, and it's something that could shake the very foundation of Amity Park. Everything that happens here, it all circles back to one man, if you could even call him one. Because Danny Fenton is far from being human.

No. Not human in the slightest. The way Wes sees it, Danny Fenton is a poser. A mimic. A monster under the skin of a normal boy. A ghost pretending to be a human. Something illogical, but a bastard who's damn good at manipulating people. Having them see what he wants them too.

But Wes Weston isn't fooled by this ghost. He never has been. Hero? He scoffs at the thought. Amity Park is being used for its gains, and he's going to prove it. He's going to prove to the world the truth behind Danny Phantom.

Although by now, it's been a year and his efforts have turned up fruitless. Wes digs and digs at this this mystery, but all the evidence is circumstantial in the eyes of the public. Despite his best efforts, his year of investigation still yields no solid proof, and there's no way to get any without getting caught by Fenton and his crew.

Wes finds himself frowning. The misfit crew of Sam, Tucker and Jazz are the only barrier between him and solid proof. But, the tight knitting these three have with Fenton continues to be an insurmountable obstacle in his path.

The basketball Wes is dribbling makes a few rapid taps on the ground, snapping the boy out of his thoughts as it rolls away. He's scowling now, watching it roll to the other side of the empty gymnasium. It hits the wall and looses it's momentum.

Wes moves across the floor, runners creaking against the waxy and wooded floor. He picks up the ball and holds it in his hands a minute, before throwing it across the court and into the opposing basket. His frustration at this failed investigation is put full force into the lob, and the ball bounces roughly on the backboard before sinking through the net.

Right then and there, as the ball is smacking against the floor a few more times before stopping, Wes hears the sounds of footsteps. He turns slowly to keep his sneakers from squeaking on the floor and follows the noise.

There's chatter, just outside the gym. It's odd, because school has been out hours now. And it's a Friday, so everyone should be home enjoying the weekend.

Wes makes careful steps as he approaches the voices. The past year of spying on Fenton has improved his stealth greatly, so he's easily able to tiptoe over and hide behind a wall. He can hear the conversation now, but he's sure to stay out of sight so no one sees him. That means no faces, sadly.

"Do you understand your objective?" A deep, male voice is the first one Wes hears. The speaker is definitely not from Casper High.

"I do, don't worry. I'll get your information for you. As long as you have the money, I'll get your job done for you." A younger, but still somewhat low voice replies. Someone that could be Wes's age. Someone who's doing a job for money.

"We wouldn't let you on if you didn't swear your allegiance. You'll get your pay, but only if you comply and stay loyal to us. We will silence you if you double cross us." A third voice now. The owner is also an adult, and he's very forward to what must be the younger voice.

"Understood. I'll do what I have to in order to get the info to you. In my book, the ends justify the means." The young voice replies, a more serious tone now.

"We know you're right for the job. Remain undercover, or you could botch the operation. Begin your objective starting on Monday," the first voice commands. It's preceded by retreating footsteps.

Wes releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. All he can do is sit there behind the wall and let his mind roll over the conversation a few times. He swallows, blinking a few times.

He doesn't know what the hell that was about, but one thing is sure. The mystery regarding Danny Phantom just became the lesser problem here.

The aspiring athlete quickly packs his bags and heads the opposite direction of the footsteps. He still can't comprehend what just happened, but he knows he needs to see someone about it. Someone he can trust.

And if there is anything he's learned in his endeavors this passed year, there is someone he can trust. Getting through to her, on the other hand, is where the issue comes in. After all, he said he'd only confront someone who could find seven ways to bench press him in three seconds as a last resort.

So when Valerie Gray opens the door to her apartment an hour later, she's quite confused to see the taller boy standing outside instead of someone she knows.

"Can I help you?" Valerie gives Wes a flat look. Despite the height difference, Wes knows the shorter of the two here could easily tie him into a pretzel and kick him down the stairs.

"Yes, I uh.... wanted to talk to you. About something private. I don't even get it yet, and it's just an inclination but.... I was at school and overheard something... fishy. I need a second opinion." Wes stutters.

"You're the kid who always goes around saying Danny is Phantom, aren't you?" Valerie's brows furrow. She looks Wes up and down with a criticizing look.

"Well... Yeah that is me, but-"

"But nothing, kid. Look, I'm not here to listen to you preach your little story. You only talk about ridiculous conspiracies that make no sense, so take your tinfoil hat and get lost," Valerie slams the door in the others face.

Wes blinks a few times as the apartment grows eerily silent.

He knocks again.

"Kid, really. I don't have time to deal with-" Valerie starts, but Wes sticks his foot in the door frame. He takes a steadying breath and looks the other in the eyes.

"Listen to me about this! It's not about Danny or Phantom this time! It has nothing to do with this and you're the only person I feel I can trust with something like this!" Wes tells Valerie, a note of desperation in his voice.

"This is the first time we've ever spoken, pal. I don't even know your name!" Valerie hisses, glare deepening as she reaches for the door again.

"Fair point." Wes concedes that far, but this is too important. "But this is something I need you for, okay? Because I know I can trust you."

Moment of truth. Make or break. Wes swallows his fear and gazes past Valerie's annoyed and confused expression.

"I trust you because I know you're the Red Huntress."

The silence comes back full force. Wes can see every muscle in Valerie's figure go rigid. She just stands there, staring at him.

"Cause you know, I was looking for proof Danny is Phantom. And uh, yeah, I saw you uh... doing a thing...." Wes continues.

A fist comes at his face about a millisecond later.

"Bastard! Hasn't anyone taught you to mind your own business?! Stop spying on Danny, and stop spying on me. Get a life." Valerie spits.

Wes is holding his nose now, feeling the hot trickle of blood coming out. He figured Valerie can punch hard, but damn it if steel hadn't just broke his nose. At least it feels broken.

"I'm not done, damn it!" Wes cries. He's going to need some tissues for this. "I still haven't told you what I overheard after school today!"

"And what makes you think I want to hear it?" Valerie growls. She has a full glare now, full of anger and budding resentment.

"Because there's a scandal going on!" Wes finally gets it out. Though it's a bit hard to understand with the boy holding his nose to stop it from bleeding.

"A what?"

"A scandal, damn it! Some kid at our school was talking to strangers outside the gym!" Wes elaborates to the best of his ability. Damn, his face hurts. "There's money involved, and some kind of information exchange. Threats to silence traitors."

Valerie seems to stand down a bit, but her guard doesn't drop. ".... go on."

"I only caught the back end of the conversation. I was busy making sure I wasn't caught eavesdropping so I didn't get any faces. But there were two adults and a kid, I could tell from their voices. There's something not right about it, and I didn't know who else to go to!"

Valerie again gives Wes a judgemental look. She sighs a moment later. "I'll look into it, kid. At the very least, it sounds more believable than your other stories. I'll talk to you again Monday afternoon if I notice anything fishy, ok?"

"Please, that's all I'm asking," Wes begs, just about ready to drop on his knees.

"Alright, got it. Where can I find you after school on Monday?" Valerie finally concedes. Wes holds his sigh of relief in as he takes a minute to relax himself.

"I usually spend my after hours in the gym doing practice. That's where you can find me until around eight," Wes tells the Huntress. Valerie nods in turn.

"Alright. If anything comes up, I'll find you this time. And you'd better keep the secret identity under wraps, kid. Or I'm going to break a lot more than your nose," the girl warns, fire in her forest green eyes.

Wes nods quickly. "And uh, you can call me Wesley, though I usually just go by Wes, and-"

"Yeah, that's great kid. Can you get your foot out of my apartment, please?" Valerie raises an eyebrow at him with the deadpan look returning.

"Right, yeah, sure," Wes replies. He pulls his foot away and Valerie shuts the door again.

Turning to walk away, Wes sighs. When he gets home, he might need an appointment to get his nose looked at over the weekend, and a shopping trip for extra tissue paper.

Still, he can't seem to shake this looming sense of dread.

There's just something not right here. He can feel it in his bones, and it's not just the weakness in his knees from confronting the Red Huntress. It's almost an instinctual sense of impending danger. Something in him is afraid.

What is he afraid of? The average person wouldn't want to know. The average person would keep quiet and dread the feeling within them to run and hide.

But Wes isn't the average person. He knows things they don't. He sees things they haven't. And he just overheard the white rabbit declaring how late he is.

Wes sees a rabbit hole before him. Deep, dark and foreboding. But even if he isn't the bravest, or the strongest, hell, even the smartest. There's a drive in him, something that pushes him toward the hole. Something telling him to leap.

Let's see how deep this dark, dangerous hole is.


	2. The Warnings

Wes arrives at the basketball court Monday afternoon. He's tired, and deep bags have formed under his eyes from lack of sleep. The weekend before was frought with overwhelming worries, keeping him up for three days strait.

Three whole days of pacing his room, checking and rechecking his evidence on Danny fruitlessly, writing down the conversation to remember it, rereading the notes over and over again, and frankly, the thoughts of why and how are keeping him unfocused.

Luckily, the rest of the team have decided to ditch practice today, leaving Wes alone with his thoughts. His movements are noncommital and sloppy, his head filled with too much for him to focus on any stray thoughts. 

The basketball he's dribbling evades him, stuttering to the floor again and rolling aimlessly across the gym. Wes doesn't pursue the ball, still stewing in his thoughts. He barely hears the gym doors open across from him.

"Think fast, Weston," a voice calls, and Wes just barely manages to catch the pass lobbed at him. The boy's nails dig into the leathery surface of the basketball, looking up to find it's Valerie that startled him a moment ago. She gives him the same scrutinizing look from Friday, but her eyes betray her strong exterior. 

Something has her startled too. That's not a good sign.

She also came through on her word to see him, if something came up. Also not a good sign.

A uncertain terror is in Valerie's eyes, and it sends Wes's guttural instinct into overdrive with a newfound terror as she walks closer to him. Is he right? Because it's become clear that she's found credit to his suspicions if she's here.

"Someone looks like shit," Valerie comments, clearly noting the bags under Wes's eyes.

"Feels like too, for your information. I don't know what it is about yesterday, but the issue's kept me up all weekend." Wes feels his grip on the ball tighten.

"Wish I didn't relate. After that random discussion, I started looking into your lead. What I heard wasn't good," Valerie sighs, clenching and relaxing her hands. "How's your nose?"

"Not sore anymore, thank you. You have quite the right hook..." Wes sighs, phantom pains of the knock to the face causing him to wince.

"We probably shouldn't talk about what I found here. Too public. Let's head back to my place and I'll tell you what I've found regarding this scandal," Valerie urges.

"Sounds like a better plan than my non-existent one," Wes nods his head. "Lead the way."

It's a relatively short walk to Valerie's apartment, all things considered. Being distracted by something can surely make time feel like it's moving in fast forward.

Wes takes two steps into the small, yet homey complex. He looks about while Valerie greets her father and introduces Wes.

"Its good to see you making new friends, honey. They're the ones who stick by you when you need them the most," Damon tells the two jovially, unaware that the term "friend" is a bit of a strong word.

"Thanks Daddy. If you need us, we'll be in my room. Hanging out and all," Valerie lies smoothly, leading Wes across the hall.

Wes himself has never been in someone else's bedroom before, especially that of a girl. Despite the circumstances, he still treads carefully. He doesn't want another ironclad punch in the nose, after all.

Valerie pulls up a seat from her desk for her guest, while she herself opts go sit on her bed, while Wes inspects the room. The very, very Phantom covered room. It's full of data logs, tracking, photos... its the whole nine yards.

"Wow. And I thought I was obssessed with figuring this guy out." Wes whistles, taking in the room. Her instantly met with Valerie's glare after that comment.

"Can it, Weston. I'm just trying to figure out this ghost's pattern here. Habits, where it haunts most often, ways it slips up so i can catch it..." she lists.

"Phantom's as slippery as an eel," Wes agrees, glaring at the photos of Danny Fenton, in his true form of course. The only reason no one's found out is because everyone thinks he's nuts. One day Wes will show them, though.

"And smart. The ghost learns, adapts. Every time I try to exploit a weakness, Phantom works around it. I don't know what gives him this level of intelligence, but it's scarily smart. All the more reason to eliminate the threat," Valerie huffs.

Wes holds his tongue, biting back the three years of evidence he's gathered on Fenton being Phantom. If he says anything to Valerie, he'll get destroyed for insinuating her friend is a ghost again. It would be an uphill battle to get her to believe him, so he won't bother.

"Luckily for us, Phantom isn't the issue today. If that smartass was the problem, I would be a bit less worried. But he's not. It's something worse..." Valerie finally reveals.

"Worse than Phantom?" Wes feels his eyes widen. What could be worse than that ghost pretending to be human, manipulating the whole town with his dual nature?

"Yeah. What we're dealing with here could basically be called Armageddon. I did some digging and I dig up a real monster of a problem." Valerie shivers, and Wes can feel the ghost walking across his grave.

"Armageddon? Like the end of the world? The apocalypse?" Wes sputters, looking at Valerie in disbelief. There's no way it's this bad, right?

The look on Valerie's face says otherwise.

"You're serious. I just peeped on a conversation that could lead to the end of the world?" Wes hisses, trying to keep his voice down so no one can hear the discussion.

"Looks like. I ran into Phantom over the weekend again, and he had some info on the conversation you overheard," Valerie sighs.

"Phantom? You got info out of Phantom? It always does circle back to him, don't it?" Wes groans.

Valerie huffs. "Yeah, it always does. Mind you, the spook didn't part with the info easily. Normally wouldn't trust his word like this, but I managed to goad a story out of him. A story with way too many coincidences mind you, and considering the shpeal you gave me, it lines up too well."

"So, what'd he tell you? Why do you think this is so dangerous?" Wes presses.

"Ever heard of the G.I.W?" Valerie replies darkly.

"Here and there. I heard they're called the Guys in White, and their the people the government hired to deal with ghosts, right?" Wes ponders this. "What would they have to do with this?"

"Everything. Phantom's seen them prowling about the whole town a while now, and their goal could lead to the end of the world," Valerie relays.

"But why would the government want to destroy the world? Isn't their job to, you know, protect people?" The baffled basketball player rationalizes.

"Yes, that's what they do. But Phantom revealed something alarming before he flew off. The way the G.I.W intend to carry out their jobs is by blowing up the Ghost Zone."

"Blowing up the ghost zone? That should get rid of ghosts forever, shouldn't it? No more ghosts mean no more problems with them!"

"That's where you're wrong, kid." Valerie counters. "The Ghost Zone isn't just a "zone." Its an entire dimension. Now, I dont know too many quantom physics, but I know that blowing up one dimension would be bad for every other dimension tied to it. That includes ours."

"Ok, I see where you're going with this, but why does this involve the scandal at Casper High?" It comes back to that in the end. Why is there a spy at the high school?

"Its intel gathering. The G.I.W know that Phantom and plenty of other ghosts frequent the school out of every other location in town. Their looking for doorways, weaknesses, other ways to strike their enemies and ways to cripple them for good."

"Someone's getting paid big bucks to play dumb, I take it? Gather what they can on the school hauntings to speed up the process," Wes deduces. That's pretty concerning.

"Not only that. They'll want info on stragglers that constant the real world, too. No chance to rebuild once the Ghost Zone's been decimated." Valerie elaborates.

Thus the tangled web grows deeper. It seemed so simple when Wes first starts pulling these threads, but now he's wound up in a convoluted plot, one that involves the extinction of all ghosts.

And not just ghosts. A dimension full of them.

A dimension with ties in these tangled threads, stringed and interconnected in the fabric of reality itself. A reality that soon faced being torn to shreds.

Thoughts pass through at a mile a minute. So many implications, so many risks, face to face with a government organization building weapons of mass destruction.

Wes always had a nose for conspiricies, but he never thought he'd have to deal with the sort of tin foil hat type fiasco on his hands right now. It's a bit much if honest...

"So... What do we do about this? I know you're tough, but there's no way we're going to stop the government from blowing up the Ghost Zone with just the two of us and a bunch of guns..." Wes eyes Valerie's backpack.

"Fair point, I guess. Going in guns blazing now is suicide." Valerie concedes.

"Govenments always have ways of making the opposition disappear, that's for darned sure," Wes groans. They wouldn't last three seconds against the G.I.W.

"Well, we'll just need to make ourselves strong enough to oppose them. I'm sure there's others we can trust out there with this info," Valerie rationalizes.

But who? Now that's the question. This is deep, heavy information. And because there's a spy out there, it's going to be hard to find a trustworthy ally that won't stab them in the back.

And with a heavy situation, comes a truth that's somewhat heavy to accept.

After all, it's obvious who to contact. It was his story that lead to these conclusions in the first place. And the photos of him plastered on the wall only serve to show how obvious this answer is.

"I swear, even when Phantom isn't here, he's mocking me," Valerie hisses at the pictures.

"Maybe it would be less mocking if you didn't have his face everywhere on your bedroom walls?"

"Don't make me break your nose again, Weston."

Wes swallows hard and backs off after that statement. After all, it's not like he's one to talk when his own room is at the same level of Phantom disarray.

"I can't believe we have to do this, but there's no other good option. For all we know, that spy has the in with the popular kids at school, my only other contact on the occasion." Valerie huffs.

"Same with me and the basketball team. A team we are, but there's no one you can truly trust when one of them could be the government's rat." Wes mutters. "Like anyone would believe me anyway."

"Then comes the next issue. Contacting Amity Park's most elusive annoyance." Valerie skins through her notes. 

"That's going to be tricky. Phantom only shows up to ghost fights, and the specter's so flighty, he's gone by the time it's over. And there's no time to talk in the midst of combat," she continues, flipping through for an answer.

She stops on the page she wrote for Danielle. Phantom's supposed cousin that can turn into a human. Or at least, shapeshift to a physical form.

Her eyes trail to Wes, and then to the page depicting Phantom's cousin. She can't believe she's about to ask this...

"You know what? Fine. I'll bite on your Danny Fenton is Phantom theory. Back your crackpot story and then we can try and talk to him, if I'm convinced you're right that is."

"Wait, you're going to listen to me?"

Valerie nods dejectedly.

"You're gonna let me prove it?!"

"Just get on with it, Weston!"

Wes lights up like a Christmas Tree, elated to finally get somewhere with what he's been arguing for three years.


	3. The Enigma

Valerie wants to tell Wes he's wrong.

She's been telling Wes that he's wrong for years. That his theories are nothing but crazy. That he's just trying to delude everyone by throwing more shade on her friend.

Most people in the school think Danny is a nobody, the kid with the crackpot patents who believe in ghosts. Even when they were proven right, and that ghosts do exist, Danny was still the kid with the crackpot family for other reasons.

Valerie believed that too, for a time. Every time she ran into Danny, she saw an inconsiderate jerk who just shoved people away and backsassed anyone who crossed his path. A grumpy, rude loser who hung around two other losers in a trio of freaks.

But, then she actually met Danny. When someone had taken her spot as mascot for the Nasty Burger that one time, she didn't think much of it until Danny told her that was himself taking her place. He was making it up to her for being rude.

And then they hid together under the cafeteria table, going over their book reports. It gave them time to talk. It was just about a lame book report, but it was pleasant.

They all hid with Sam at his house when it came time to run from their respective pursuers, and despite the weirdness, Danny was calling her Val by the next day. Even if Danny's other two friends didn't like her, the boy was willing to let her into his friend circle.

Then there was those few days part of the way into her second year of high school. Those days with Danny, with the candlelight dinner, and the goings out. She still had the photo the park had taken when they'd mysteriously been trapped at the top of the Ferris Wheel.

Danny was smart, witty and full of life that she'd never seen before. He was someone who loved space and always dreamed of having a dog because he loved them so much. He introduced her to a world away from the popularity and self image, letting her be happy for the time they nearly got together.

Now though...

Now she doesn't know what to think. She wants to tell Wes he's wrong. Tell him it's not true, and that this is all one big lie. Danny could never be Phantom. Danny is too sweet to be Phantom. Danny is too human, alive, to be Phantom.

But Phantom's not just a ghost.

He's also a boy.

And Valerie doesn't know what to do with that information.

She grips the photograph she has of her and Danny, looking around the walls at all the boys with white hair and green eyes. Then to the one with black and blue. She blinks, trying her damnest to get the overlay to go away. But she can't. They have the same face.

With a deep sigh, she grasps the truth. Not that she accepts it. Not that she's okay with it. Not in the slightest.

"This is bullshit."

Wes feels his jaw drop as Valerie finally speaks. The Huntress glares at him and he shuts it.

"Its not your theory I'm talking about. Your theory has ground. A lot of ground. And that's why this is bullshit," Valerie concedes. She grips the photograph tighter, wrinkling it.

"Wait, you believe me? You actually believe me?!" Wes exclaims, looking quite taken aback.

"You're lucky I ran into something a while back that seals your little theory, or this would be a very different conversation," Valerie concedes.

Wes looks like a kid in a candy store as the grin lights up his freckled face. Valerie wants to punch him again, but the truth of this matter has her just feeling... winded, out of energy.

Unmotivated.

The grip on the photograph tightens until her thumb tears a hole in it, leaving it irreversibly damaged.

How could he just do that to her. Lie to her face like that, keeping that dorky awkward grin on his face while stringing her along in his tangled web. A web weaved of a false self, created to trick everyone around him into thinking someone he's not.

Why does everything Valerie touch turn to dust?

First it was who she thought was her friends. They left her in the dust, left her for dead the moment she held no use to them.

Then it was Vlad. The bastard lived up to the vampiric appearance of his spectral form, sucking her dry of her usefulness to gain her strength. A tool for his own gain. Kindness was a false coincidence that benefited only him in the end.

And Danny...

Who even is Danny to her, anymore?

A liar? Like hell he isn't. A bastard? It comes packaged with him being a liar. That's what Danny is. A self sufficient bastard that lied to her to save his own sorry ass. She doesn't even know the boy, just the facade he used to manipulate her.

Valerie may as well just call all the halfas she knows bastards, but at least Dani was halfway decent.

...Danny would appreciate a pun like that.

Shut up, stupid brain. Valerie knocks a hand against her head for a minute to clear it.

"So uh... are we gonna stand here, or are we gonna go find Phantom?" Wes interjects, snapping Valerie out of her derailed train of thought.

"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute. I'll fly us over to his place." Valerie sighs.

With a mental command, Valerie brings forth her ghost hunting suit. The armor is like a spark in her heart, dormant but brought forward when she wills. 

The small peices, the fragments under her skin phase painlessly through her and coat her in red and black. Instantly, a strength she knows she has comes forth, the room illuminated by the glow of the supernatural armor.

Leaping in the air, electrical pulses under Valerie's boots surge. The bright magenta light brings forth her hoverboard, leaving her floating, the soothing hum of her equipment calming her nerves.

Wes looks gobsmacked at the transformation, wide eyed and at a loss for words. First time for everything.

"You coming or what?" Valerie deadpans, pointing to the back of her hoverboard. Wes takes shaking steps aboard the floating platform, grabbing Valerie's shoulders.

The grab turns into a white knuckled grip as Valerie speeds out the window, Wes hiding his face behind her in order to block out the extreme velocity. 

The Huntress driving the board could hardly care as she races faster, attempting to use the speed to clear her head. Calm her down. Take her mind off the revelation. Lest she knock Danny out with the punch she has planned for him and not get any answers.

Needless to say, the flight to Fentonworks takes only a few terrifying minutes. Valerie can only hope Danny is home, while Wes just wants off this terrifying hoverboard.

It's easy finding the window that looks into Danny's room. In a home full of weapons and equipment, it's obvious the one covered in glow in the dark stars belongs to him. At least the fact he likes space isn't a lie.

Looking further in, past the scattered papers and unfinished assignments all over the floor, a tuft of raven hair pokes out from under a set of sky blue sheets. So at least he's home.

Valerie feels the tension return all at once. Her fists clench and her breathing stutters. Some part of her still wants it to be a lie, still wants one reason, just one, to deny the truth. Only Danny can offer that reason, and it had better be good.

Though, deep down, she knows it's not going to be a good one. A believable one.

With a steadying breath, Valerie knocks her knuckles against the window frame. The rapping of the glass stirs Danny awake, slowly as the two visitors wait outside.

The boy sits up, stretching as he looks toward the door. Valerie taps on the window again to drag his attention to the sound.

Danny's eyes grow wide seeing the company he has waiting outside. He leaps to his feet and opens the window, sticking his head out and gripping the edge of it.

"The Red Huntress? What are you doing here?" Danny tilts his head. His voice is shaking, he's trying to keep calm. It's not doing well for his case. "I thought you worked solo. You're not here to see my parents are you?"

"Of course not." Valerie puts her hands on her hips. She steels a glare at the boy before her under her helmet. Blue ones blink back with worry and confusion.

"Then why are you here? Floating at my window like you know me..." he nervously chuckles.

"Cut the crap, Fenton. You know who I am," Valerie spits it, throwing it at the boy before like the hot venom that seals her throat.

"I don't know what you're-"

"I said cut it, ghost boy!"

Danny blinks twice. His skin grows impossibly pale as he processes what Valerie has just said. He shudders, the feeling of his stomach dropping visible in his eyes as he swallows hard.

"...when did you find out?"

There it is. The confirmation. The admittance that Valerie has so deeply dreaded since she found an explanation. The secrecy, the disappearing, the hiding. This whole time, this entire time, Danny had been nothing but a liar.

Valerie feels her face twist into that of an enraged expression. Danny, clearly sensing danger, backs away from the window. Valerie looms over him, following inside his room. The only sound in the deafening silence is the hum of the hoverboard Valerie stands on.

"You.... you...."

Danny takes another step back, pressing into the ajascent wall. Valerie deactivates the board, leaving Wes to fall unceremoniously onto the ground behind her.

"You LIAR!" 

Valerie declares, charging at the boy before her with her fist in the air. She swings it hard at Danny, who cowers, throwing up a bright green shield to protect himself. Valerie's fist pounds against the ectoplasmic feild, and she raises her arm again.

"You lying bastard, Fenton! How could you just do this to me?!" She roars in anger, bringing her fist down again.

"I thought you cared about me!" Another knock against the shield.

"I thought we were friends!" Valerie throws another fist at the boy, it doesn't hit him.

"I thought you were better than this!" She continues regardless, uselessly pounding the shield.

"I do care, Val! I just didn't know how to tell you!" Danny cries back, holding his arms over his head. The shield continues to take a beating, cracking under the force.

"Then why didn't you say anything!" Valerie rears back again, the shield cracking like glass.

"Why didn't you?" Danny bites back. Valerie tries to rebuke him, but the glare in his eyes keeps her quiet a minute. Her fist is against the splintering shield. Another knock would shatter it.

"And this isn't about me already knowing. You had your oppertunity to tell me when we were close. So why didn't you?" Danny presses again.

"I wanted to protect you..." Valerie feels her voice grow hollow.

"Then there's your answer." Danny sighs. He drops the shield. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to keep you safe. I have a million different enemies, and I didn't want you to be a target."

Valerie looks down at the boy, ghost, whatever he is on the ground. His eyes leak the sincerity she's grown used to.

"Are you telling the truth this time? No more lies?" Valerie raises a brow at Danny, who slowly gets to his feet.

"No more lies." Danny assures. "Promise."

"Good."

Valerie rears her fist back and punches Danny in the nose.


	4. The Hill

Valerie pulls her fist away from Danny's face, leaving him reeling as he holds his nose.

An ugly mix of red and green fluid now stains her armor as the boy before her shakes, more of the blood like mix leaking from his fingers. She's never seen Danny bleed before, even if it was just a punch in the nose causing his nostrils to leak this mix of blood and ectoplasm.

The still somewhat startled hybrid mutters curses under his breath. He deserves it in Valerie's opinion, lying to her for years about a whole other side of himself. And, frankly, that other side has been quite the jerkwad in her impressions of him. The manifestation of what she didn't like about Danny at first.

The backsassing, sarcastic, adamant Danny that was another stranger in the halls when she started going to Casper High. She was almost starting to wonder what happened to that when he started letting her in. She thought he made an exception for her. Clearly, she thought wrong.

Danny's still holding his nose as he tries to look at something other than Valerie. His eyes settle on Wes, who was still in the room. The redheaded boy was just outside the rising tension between Halfa and hunter, but with the growing glare on Danny's face, it's clear that isn't going to last long.

"Seriously, you again?! How many times do I have to tell you to screw off and mind your own damn business!?" Danny snaps, removing his hand from his bruised face. The dark mark is already starting to fade.

"I finally proved it to someone, you know. I'm calling today a victory," brags Wes, sitting up a bit straiter as he grins at the agitated Halfa.

"Twat," Danny spits, turning away from the obnoxious boy. He finds the wall on the left side of his room very interesting for some reason.

"Who even uses the word twat?" Wes growls.

"Who cares, concerning you, it's an accurate insult," Danny huffs in turn.

"Ok girls, you're both pretty, can we talk about the important thing now?" Valerie cuts in. She's had more than enough squabbling for one day.

"Fine. But I'm still calling today a victory over you," Wes huffs, folding his arms.

"Fine." Danny growls in turn. "You one, me the other, what, nine hundred attempts failing?"

"You may be winning the battle, but you won't win the war, Fenton."

"Like Valerie knowing the truth is a tactical advantage. Unlike you, she knows a secret identity is a secret for a reason!"

"For the record, he snooped on mine too. He tells anyone else, I'm going to break more than his nose," Valerie adds. "Now can we get back to the apocalypse thing?"

"Apocalypse thing?" Danny asks, a bit flabbergasted. "What apocalypse thing?"

"Yeah, we're not actually here to talk about you lying to me for three years. If I wanted to do that, if have found you at school tomorrow and dragged you behind the cafeteria dumpsters to talk about it," Valerie huffs.

"Ok, fair. But seriously, what apocalypse thing?" Danny demands, voice pitched as his eyes flicker green. He must feel his obsession is threatened.

"Well, I might have overheard the back end of a meeting between the G.I.W and a spy they're planting in the school..." Wes adds off-handedly.

Danny turns to Valerie. "Is that why you were so confrontational about them over the weekend? They're planting a spy?"

"Sounds like they're getting desprate if you ask me. After you mentioned that they attempted to use your parent's portal to destroy the ghost zone during our chat, I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume worse has come to worse." Valerie picks at her steel, red and black glove.

"Figures," grumbles the Halfa, glaring at the wall again. "Typical jerks in white, I swear they only exist to make life harder, status on what counts as living aside. Everything they do just majes the situation worse than it should be."

"So, they've done more than just this trying go destroy the universe thing?" Wes pipes up, tilting his head. Danny begrudgingly forces his gaze back to the boy as a result.

"Definitely. But I can't go into detail here. For one my parents might listen in to us dissing the G.I.W and wonder what's up. Plus, because we actually have a working portal, the G.I.W might look into surveying and commandeering it again for this new plan."

"Well. Back to my apartment it is," Valerie puts her helmet on.

"I've got a better spot. One that the jerkwads haven't found yet," Danny grins. "I can lead the way, but from now on, I need you both to swear to secrecy. You can't tell anyone about it, not even a word. Got it?"

"What are you glaring at me for?" Wes huffs. Danny's eyes turn a blazing green, causing the athlete to jump back a bit.

"I trust Valerie. I don't trust you," Danny firmly states, eyebrows furrowing further. "Are we clear?"

"Clear as day, Phantom. Won't even say a word, promise," Wes stutters. Danny continues to give him a distrustful look.

"Guess it'll have to do." Danny shuts his eyes. "I'll show you the way. But, if you betray my very, very little trust, I'm going to make you wish you never stuck your nose in my business in the first place."

Wes swallows hard, nodding furiously in the direction of the glaring individual. Danny in turn lets out a long, slow exhale to cool his nerves. Wordlessly, he needs to the window, pulling the blinds shut, as to not let any light out.

With every base covered, a bright ring begins to illuminate the now darkened room, the source being around Danny's waist. It begins to split, transforming the human boy into his ghostly alter ego. Colors invert, and the more casual look becomes that of the jumpsuit akin to that the Fenton Parents wear.

"With every passing second, I can't help thinking about how obvious this all is," Valerie chuckles, watching her once friend become her previous enemy. "The jumpsuit, the secrecy, where you kept running off to all the time. I was doing the same thing for crying out loud!"

"Heh.. yeah... guess I'm not the most subtle am I? Really my only defense is how... impossible something like me is," Danny chuckles, but there's no humor in the short laughs. Just sadness and paranoia. "I mean, a ghost and human hybrid? Scientifically impossible according to my parents, but here I am anyway!"

Danny continues to laugh in a very humor-free manner, holding back tears. He wipes his arm on his sleeve and sighs. "Enough about this, the sooner we get over this, the better. Just follow me and I'll take you to the base."

"Hey, Danny?" Valerie stops him. She puts a hand on his shoulder, feeling the cold of his very being seep in, even under her armor. He doesn't turn to face her.

"...are you, you know, ok?" Valerie attempts again.

"I haven't been ok for three years, Val. You get used to it," Danny answers quietly, moving away from her and opening the blinds again. He floats out the window, waiting for his company to catch up.

Valerie brings forth her hoverboard, letting Wes climb aboard. The red headed boy wraps his arms around her shoulders, holding and iron grip due to the last time he was riding the board. It lifts into the air, soon floating right next to Danny.

With a nod, Danny soars forward, leading the way across town. The flight is again, rather fast, as Danny directs them to that one rather tall hill just outside city limits. The halfa lands next to the tree growing on the top of the hill, watching Valerie catch up.

"So where's this base you were talking about?" Valerie looks around the rather plain hill top as Wes falls off the board, landing flat on his back due to the momentum taking a lot out of him. Danny makes a knowing smirk before approaching the tree on the hill.

"I figured Team Phantom could use a better base of operations than Mom and Dad's basement. There's way too many ways to get caught down there," he hums with a playful grin, before pulling back a patch of exposed bark on the tree, revealing a hand print scanner. He takes his hand and places it on the scanner, the ground below the tree starting to shake.

The tree than opens up trunk wise. The oak reveals to be metal on the inside, with a doorway that slides open into an elevator. Danny hops inside, allowing his company to follow him. With everyone accounted for, Danny closes the elevator with the press of a button, the tree sliding closed, returning to a normal look.

The elevator slides down it's metal casing, seeming to be magnetically operated. Danny smirks proudly as they descend, his mood seeming to have lifted now that they arrived where he wanted to take them. Reaching the bottom, the doors open again, leading into a vast, metal structure placed entirely underground.

"What even is all this?" Wes asks, completely taken aback by the large base hidden right underneath Amity Park. There were many different rooms, marked with things such as a medical bay, vault and storage.

"Turns out I'm better with my hands than I am my brain," Danny brags, heading toward the meeting room. "The team and I have been working on this since we nearly got caught having a meeting about recent ghost invasions at home. It was a little bit after Valerie met Ellie..."

"So you've been hiding this entire base under the town, building it from scratch, and no one suspected a thing?" Wes asks. He taps his foot against the metal floor.

"With how often I run off to fight ghosts, I have a lot of free time if I'm expecting to miss the rest of class," Danny replies in earnest. "The ghost powers made the actual construction way easier for the four of us."

Valerie peeks into one of the rooms. It's unmarked and seems to be still under construction. "What's supposed to be in here? That's quite the uh... hole in the wall."

"Again, the further I can keep my actual ghost hunting away from my parents, the better. And that includes finding a place to deposit my catches into the ghost zone," Danny elaborates, seeming to go quiet at the mention of the large, metal octagon in the back of the unfinished room. He continues walking after a moment.

"Luckily since mom and dad finished their version, ...commandeering the blueprints wasn't too much of an issue. I haven't even heard them mention that they're missing yet. Besides, having one that our team can monitor 24/7 without getting caught or destroyed would be very advantageous."

"Wow. This is some major stuff, Danny. You're only 17 and you're doing all of this for most of your conceivable time?" Valerie marvels, heading to the meeting room with the other two.

"I could handle it when I was fourteen, I can handle it now," Danny replies simply.

"Words to live by," Valerie agrees.

The meeting room was the same thick, strong steel as the rest of Team Phantom's base. In the center was a large table, lined with chairs along the sides. There's no chairs at the head or the foot of the table, but a large projector screen takes up the back wall. Off to the side is a desk with a laptop, hooked up to the projector.

"Take a seat, you two. We have a lot to talk about," Danny invites, heading to the laptop. He presses a few buttons, before the projector flickers to life with his logo on screen.

"Wow, egotistical much, Phantom?" Wes barks, only to receive another glare.

"Shut it, Weston. And for your information, that's the Team Logo. It's not just mine. I'm basically the mascot," Danny huffs at the other boy.

"Now. Can you two tell me everything you've gathered up to this point on the G.I.W? Maybe with what I know, we can start to figure out their game plan..."


	5. The Plan

An eerie quiet seemed to fall over the room as the three individuals stared each other down.

Danny could feel the burning ectoplasm behind his eyes. If only things weren't this severe... as Wes and Valerie went over what they had found over the weekend, he couldn't help but feel dizzy. The core in his chest seemed to buzz in his ears, the lingering feeling of danger being implanted in his mind. And when there was danger, he had to protect those in the danger. It was his duty and purpose.

As the discussion continued, it became clear that the situation is severe. If there's a spy for the G.I.W in the school looking for ghosts, it's obvious that they've been planted there to monitor the halls for specific ghosts. Ones that appear often, ones around him. And that includes himself.

Who knows what else they might be looking for? An origin point? A way to trace the ghosts back to the Ghost Zone? Danny shivers at the thought of the G.I.W getting their immaculate gloved hands on devices like the Infimap or gaining abilities similar to Wulf.

With everything they've already done up to this point, to contain the ghosts in Amity Park alone, they could be planning an attack, which is why they need a spy in the ranks of Casper High. The very first ghost attacks seemed to target the haunted halls, and with a teen planted to make aquantances with possible informants, it's a very startling move.

"What do you mean, what the G.I.W have done? Ghosts just run rampant around here until you get in on kicking them back out. I don't see phoney men in white suits doing anything to stop it!" Wes argues as Danny voices his concerns.

"That's because they're working at the perimeter of town. Ever wonder why we get so few tourists? Or that any of the visitors from out of town never know about the ghostly chaos that's practically an every day thing around here?" Danny counters.

"I've never thought of that. I just thought it was the same kind of tricks you use to hide your identity," huffs the nosey athlete.

"Its because they have a quarantine for Amity Park. News about ghosts, information on the paranormal, anything related to the strange goings on every day. Its all monitored, blocked and contained by their sources."

Danny taps a few keys on the laptop, the projector humming to life. The screen is then dotted with various images of chips and radio towers around town, each labelled with a location. The gates to and from the city are monitored by white vans, cleaned to sparkle despite the color and the windows tinted black.

"Holy shit..." 

"Holy shit is right, Weston. How have I never seen these before?!" Valerie looks at the images with shock. "I've flown through the town to hell and back, but I've never seen these vans at the gates!"

"They're the Ghost Investigation Wing for a reason. They've been "investigating" how ghostly power works to some degree. These images were taken with a specially designed camera that reveals invisible ghosts," Danny elaborates.

"Vans imbued with ghost powers? And here I thought humans with ghost powers was the weirdness line," Valerie mutters. She then sees Danny shooting her a sad look. "N-no offense Danny."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway," Danny continues with the slide show. "The radio towers control the flow of information to and from the town virtually. Information can get in, but nothing from Amity Park actually gets out."

There's a newspaper on the next slide. It talks about Mayor Vlad Masters being re-elected. Danny let's out a groan, rolling his eyes before pulling up an identical looking one from the same publisher.

"Now, can anyone tell me what the difference between these two newspapers is?" Danny can clearly see it, having looked into these sorts of things for a long time now.

"Who are you, Mr. Lancer?" Wes barks back at him.

"This isn't an English class lecture! This is life or death!" Danny growls back. "I want to make sure you're seeing what I'm trying to explain!"

".... the quotes are different," Valerie points out as the two boys glare at each other.

"Thank you, Valerie," Danny sighs with relief. "Yes, the quotes put into these two papers are different. This one is the original documentation of Vl... ugh... Mayor Masters' campaign speech, detailing the anti ghost protocols he's putting funding toward."

The quote in the other paper has Vlad talking about general security upgrades. Not a thing about recent spectral attacks or repair to buildings after messy fights. It's obvious the paper is a forgery of the original copy.

"What's with the propaganda!?" Wes barks. "Mr. Masters dedicated half his speech on campaign day to the ghost crisis, I remember it clearly!"

"That's because the other paper, the forged one, is the national release. This is just a small example if the lengths these government workers will go to in order to snuff out the hints of the ghost crisis. They forge and manipulate every bit of information to keep rumors from getting out." Danny folds his arms as he speaks.

"And we've been none the wiser this whole time!" Valerie pounds her fist on the table. "All this time I've been ghost hunting, and I never knew about any of this, even though it's so obvious! How could I miss this!"

"Well, remember how I said that these jerks were investigating how to use ghostly power in their technology? They've got an uncomfortable amount of access to making a falsified spectral influence," Danny grunts.

"Spectral... influence?" Wes repeats.

"Yeah. Ghosts are made of energy, and thus they radiate that same energy throughout a lair or haunt. It's called a Spectral Influence, and it's that same sort of creepy "go away" feeling you get when you walk in a haunted house. The ghost is using its influence to tell you to go away," Danny elaborates further.

"An influence that gets people thinking a certain... hey! You! You... you gotta be kidding! Is that the reason no one believes me when I say that your Phantom!? You just go... fill their heads with mental denial and then I look like an idiot!" Wes cries out at him.

"You make yourself look like an idiot," Danny replies with a smirk. "Though I have to commend your willpower. It's pretty hard to break Spectral Influence. It takes certainty in the fact that you know you're stronger than the doubt."

"You aren't denying it!" Wes growls.

"Yeah, the cat left the room an hour ago, you see the empty bag over there?" Danny remarks sarcastically.

"Moving on from more of your ghostly manipulation," Valerie cuts in with a hiss. Her tone causes Danny to flinch a moment and wring his hands. "What's this false influence supposed to do?"

"It's all implemented for the quarantine," Danny replies, still trying to gather himself. "Their strongest weapon is that influence. It keeps people from leaving town, and it's strong enough to keep ghosts from leaving Amity Park too."

"It works on ghosts too!?" Wes shouts in disbelief.

"The energy field they've crafted is strong. It's not as efficient as a gj9st shield, but it's invisible. People won't get suspicious and ghosts don't notice. And because of that influence, anyone who does leave have memories of the town wiped from them."

"Ghostly power, false information from the government, brainwashing?! I think I'm gonna have a headache," Valerie grumbles. She holds her head and leans against the desk.

"Why go through all this trouble, though? Why limit the ghosts to just Amity Park? They never do anything about the invasion!" Wes growls on outrage.

"They're biding their time. Remember how this is a quarantine? To them, the ghosts are a plague, a disease. Something that needs to be cured. And from what I told you last time, I'm pretty sure you can guess what curing is," Danny sighs, tapping the stand with the laptop.

"Destroying the ghost zone," Valerie mutters. "And then using their quarantine, they'll weed out the stragglers. No more ghosts left to exist."

"Why do they have to destroy the entire dimension!? Won't that just collapse our own dimension on top of itself? We'll all cease to exist with the ghosts!" Wes cries.

"Well, the unfortunate thing about modern ghost science is that no one can actually probe the ghost zone. Even the probe launched when we were attacked by the ghost king got blown up not long after it was sent out. An expedition would be too dangerous." Danny pulls up more images on the computer.

The swirling greens, the ghostly lairs, stretching off into the shadows and dark sky that surrounds the world, twisted and strange. The Ghost Zone, in all its haunting glory.

"As a result, no one knows it's actually a dimension. It's a pocket in space time to them, one they're planning to seal up, unaware what dire consequences they'll be causing."

"Just like what you said to me when I told you the plan that worried me. You thought the ghost zone wasn't a dimension until I told you different," Valerie turns to Wes. "They don't know any better, and they're too scared to do any further research before pulling the trigger."

"Well, knowing all this us good and all, but what are we supposed to DO about it? This is the government we're talking about! We don't have the power to stand up to them like this! How are we gonna stop this?!" Demands the teen in turn.

"That I don't know. I barely have any idea where their operating from, where their weapons to do the job are being built. I've searched all over, and I've found nothing…" Danny's shoulders sag.

"If only we had a lead! Someone that we could coerce into telling us where the weapons are!" Valerie growls angrily, foot tapping under the desk.

"Well, what if we ask the snake?"

Both Halfa and hunter turn to Wes at the suggestion.

"Snake?" Danny mutters with confusion.

"The spy, duh! If we corner them, we can get the info from them and head right to the secret base to deactivate those weapons! They're supposed to masquerading as one of us, so we just need to find them!"

"Hey, I think you're onto something!" Danny smiles widely. "We gather up any info we can on these guys, weed out our snake in the Grass and then get him to talk! Can't believe I'm praising you twice in one day."

"Shut it," Wes hisses.

"That's great and all, but how do we get the snake to talk? I mean, they're being paid by the government. How do we get him to talk with what they're getting paid, pay them a higher sum? Where do we get that kind of money?" Valerie rationalizes.

It's then that she and Danny share a look, both having the same idea. And both can easily see the disgust at the thought?

"Ancients damn it," Danny mutters.

"What?" The oblivious Wes pipes up.

"We have to talk to Vlad," Valerie grumbles under her breath.


	6. The Strategy

"So, what brings the two of you to my office?"

Danny can hear the sneering behind Vlad's calm facade, feel the air of negative energy the elder Halfa always leaks. If seeing Vlad didn't irritate him enough, feeling his aura was enough to put the younger on edge.

The room was neatly furnished, not a thing out of place. The post, overly tidy look of upper class areas never were Danny's thing. They leave no room for personality, just tight and empty. Says a lot about the decorator.

But, unfortunately, Danny has to suck up his misgivings for the time being. This isn't about the constant bickering he does with this trash pile of a Halfa before him. 

If they can team up to fight the ghost monarchy, the human government should be within reason as well. As much as Danny doesn't want to ask Vlad to help, he's run out of options on people he can trust.

Sam, Tucker and Jazz will get the debrief on the situation tomorrow, anyway. Other than those three, Danny's reached a dead end in terms of power. Both he and Valerie came to the same conclusion during the last meeting.

He's honestly a bit flattered she wants to come with him. The backup in dealing with Vlad is appreciated, he's still the more experienced Halfa after all. Danny likes to think he and Valerie will make a good team one day, if she ever plans on forgiving him.

Back to the matter at hand.

"Well, I hate to say this, but we need your help," Danny grunts, letting loose a long sigh after finally getting the aggravating few words out. He can feel bile in his throat just thinking about this talk.

Vlad grins widely, before his eyebrows furrow. The sinister look is followed by a low chuckle, only serving to irritate Danny further. He can practically feel Valerie tense beside him. Though he doesn't know what happened to split the contract between Halfa and hunter, Danny can tell it wasn't good.

"Now, what could possibly drive the two of you to come to me for help?" Vlad hisses, smirk never leaving his face. Danny can tell the man is pleased, very pleased to have another chance at messing with his head. Vlad will do his best with this opportunity to break him down into pieces and reassemble them into his next fragment of a bigger plot.

No way in the infinite realms is Danny just going to let that happen. He needs to keep his resolve strong when dealing with Vlad. The frootloop may be the more experienced Halfa, but Danny needs to remember that Vlad isn't the best one.

"Well, I'm sure in your twenty plus years of experience, you've become familiar with the Ghost Investigation Wing?" Danny swallows hard after speaking, doing his best to hold his resolve. If Vlad wanted to talk with an adult, hed get one. Being mature and to the point is the only way to get through to someone like him.

"Ah, yes. The government's little anti-ghost wing. Even before my accident, your parents talked endlessly about them." Vlad leans back in his seat, folding his hands together on his desk.

That's one that Danny didn't know. His parents talking about the G.I.W? Sure, he's heard it in passing, but they never talked constantly about them.

"Oh, you didn't know? Well, I'll tell you then. The original ghost portal project back in my college days was actually funded by them. When they idea surfaced, everyone was so excited. Ah yes, but then your father's mistake must have changed that…" Vlad sneers.

"Again, with my dad. Should have figured knowing you. I didn't come here to listen to you tear into my dad for the millionth time, Plasmius." Danny clenches his fists, feeling them tremble.

Then he remembers Valerie is in the room.

"I mean uh… what Plasmius? I guess your dumb face reminds me of that putrid ghost," Danny amends with a snarl.

"Actually I already knew about the whole Masters being Plasmius thing," Valerie corrects. Her expression drops to a deadpan look of boredom and exasperation as she speaks.

"Wait you already-"

"Is that why you ended our contract!?" Vlad growls, eyes turning red. He looks miffed and shocked.

"I swear, I never told her anything!" Danny raises his hands. "She only just figured out the Phantom thing yesterday!"

"Yeah. Danny may be a lying bastard, but I know a gloating villain when I hear one, calling me easy to fool when I see him morphing, thinking no one's around," Valerie smirks.

Vlad sputters a minute. His nails dig into the wood of his pristine desk. His body shudders before the two teens and his eyes flare between red and green.

"We're getting off topic here. Sure, we can all be secret identity blackmail pals later, but right now we have more pressing matters to talk about," Danny sighs. He puts himself between Valerie and Vlad, should any conflict arise in this new revelation.

"And what, pray tell Daniel, is more pressing than both of our very existences being at risk should Ms. Gray decide to take out her vengeance on us? She could tell the world of our kind and we would be shipped off to labs for experimentation!" Vlad snarls.

"Don't give me any ideas." Valerie folds her arms and raises a brow.

"Well, that won't really matter if reality collapses in on itself now, would it?" Danny huffs. He keeps himself firmly placed between the two clearly upset parties, not wanting things to get out of control.

"I beg your pardon?" Vlad balks. He tenses in his chair. "What do you mean by the collapse of reality, Daniel? Is your teen mind finally losing itself within its silly heroic fantasies?"

"It's no fantasy, Mr. Masters," Valerie bites. She hisses Vlad's name with disgust and revulsion. "The world as we know it is currently screwed if we sit around and let this happen."

"Let what happen? What are you both blabbering about?!" Vlad roars, confused, lost and frankly annoyed. These two think they can walk into his office, pull him around with vague hints and make him to be a fool.

"Oh, you know. The Ghost Investigation Wing and it's plan to blow up the ghost zone," Danny replies in a deadpan tone.

"Blow up the-" Vlad sputters in his chair a moment longer. "That's the most asinine thing I ever heard! Blow up the ghost zone, that would kill all of them too!"

"Yeah, well they don't know that. Remember what modern ectobiology thinks the ghost zone is?" Danny presses. At least it feels like he's getting his point across, begrudgingly.

It's then that Vlad takes a minute to process what his two adversaries are saying. A look of confusion crosses his face, before realization and horror. He looks between Danny and Valerie, miffed, lost and very scared.

Danny doesn't think he's ever seen his arch nemesis like this. Not with Pariah Dark, not with his cloning experiments, he'll not even when he was getting a face full of rejection from his mother.

The office fills with a hushed silence. Vlad is shaking in his seat. Danny does his best to stuff down some of the sick satisfaction building in him, because Vlad's never looked so pale.

"By now I think you get why we were desperate enough to come to you," Valerie breaks the silence, although her tone is cold. "You have something we need. Power, influence, whatever you want to call it."

"Right," Danny coughs into his hand. "Although I'll never approve of your dirty tactics you used to get yourself this far, we need that kind of thing now if we're going to find whatever means they're using to do the job."

"Indeed. That foolish organization will kill us all, or worse, damn us to eternal pain and suffering in the realms of nonexistence," Vlad relents, taking a shaky sigh.

The elder Halfa sits up in his chair a bit straighter, attempting to recompose himself. He brushes off his dark suit and folds his hands on the desk, again looking between Valerie and Danny.

"You have my cooperation. Tell me everything you know."

-

"That's basically the gist. Whatever the government is paying them, you gotta double it, so they talk, and we can locate our weapon," Valerie concludes.

"And it's going to be tough to weed out our snake. A few extra eyes wouldn't hurt, and being the mayor, you should have access to background checks," Danny adds.

"I must say, I'm impressed." Vlad drums his fingers on the desk as he muses. "I wouldn't have expected such an elaborate plot put together by your undeveloped, adolescent minds."

Danny's expression drops to that of a scowl. Valerie looks like she's about to protest, but the younger Halfa stops her. He holds his hand out in front of her, turning and shaking his head. It's not worth the effort.

"Besides, I'm sure the government is well funded, and paying our little snake thousands for his silence. It would cost me so much to fund this little excursion, I don't know if it would be worth it," Vlad continues.

"Oh, really now?" Danny spits sarcastically. "Not worth a couple hundred thousand dollars. Do you really remember what's at stake here?"

Danny feels a grin creep up on his face. It's a grin of victory. He knows just how to get under the skin of his arch nemesis. Although, he hates what he's about to suggest, it's a trope he's seen in a million movies and cartoons.

"So, if you're not going to pay our snake to talk, that means your life, the lives of everyone in the world including my mother's, and any piece of the world you want to rule isn't worth a couple hundred thousand dollars out of the pocket of a billionaire."

As Danny suggests this, the most feral of grins pulls onto Vlad's face.

"Bargaining now? My, how devious Daniel. I knew you had it in you. I was willing to pay it from the beginning, but you outdid my expectations. There may be hope of you growing into a proper Halfa yet," he purrs deviously.

Danny can feel his irritation growing under his skin. His core shrugs in his chest as he so desperately wants to smack Vlad across his smug face, claws out under his gloves so he can tear a portal through his head…

No, no. Calm down, temper in check. That would just be giving the frootloop what he wants. Weakness in his self control, weakness form of anger.

Danny grits his teeth to keep his temper in check. He can't show weakness in front of his arch nemesis again. Like it or not, Danny has to work with him. And his temper can't control him, or he'd lose what he is.

Giving into his anger and rage would make him no better than the trash pile in front of him, and that's what the trash pile wants. Clenching his fists, Danny takes a sigh of relief.

"You ok, Danny?" Valerie tries. She looks rather irritated at Vlad too.

"Getting there. Sometimes it's tough keeping my anger under control, especially with Vlad Masters sitting right over there," Danny points a glare at the smug Halfa.

"Vlad pisses everyone off. It's ok to be mad at him," Valerie quips.

"True," Danny smirks, feeling a bit better with Valerie at his side. It's not often that he has someone to confront Vlad with. It's comforting in a way.

"Getting back on topic. What will you do if we can't get your snake to talk?" Vlad cuts in, tapping on the desk to grab the attention of the two teens.

"What do you mean by that?" Danny asks.

"Your Plan B, of course. Do you honestly expect this first plan to work without flaw? That the snake will talk with a large enough sum? My, what if after we pay him, he goes back to the government and reveals our plan to them? Did you think of that?" Vlad sneers.

"What? That's, I-" Danny sputters. "I hadn't thought of that…"

"It's called thinking ahead, Daniel. A true strategist knows to plan for every possible outcome to a situation. Not every action is concrete, and not every plan is without flaw. Before we go through with your plan to find the snake, I say we gather our resources and see our options. You know, before you make a huge mistake and doom everyone you love," elaborates Vlad.

"Right, resources. Um… yeah." Danny is now completely thrown off his game, lost and confused once more. Why did Vlad always have to have their encounters shift in this way.

"Any allies you can trust, gather them and tell them the situation. Human Realm, Ghost Zone, any of your numerous allies. I will do the same with my followers. We will keep this town under high alert and watch for fluctuations in ghostly energy," continues Vlad.

The three in the room continue to strategize, talking through the most obvious outcomes. They were out any flaws in their plan, and buffer it.

Danny will be making sure to take his next weekend off to go to the ghost zone, and to finish Team Phantom's new portal. An easy entrance to fly in and out of the Ghost Zone is what they need, and it's too risky to use his parent's portal that often.

He'll need to talk to Frostbite, Dorathea, Pandora, Wulf… any of his allies he can find. He knows the ghosts would never work to get their own homes destroyed. It's going to be a busy and critical weekend.

But tomorrow, he has to go to school. He has to talk to Sam and Tucker. They need to know the updates on the situation. Jazz too, he might have to call another meeting at the base.

Wes and Valerie will need communication equipment. Danny begrudgingly has to give some to Vlad too, but he might just modify it to kill it's connection once they've saved the world.

It might be best not to tell his parents, however. They're ectobiologists, and they're as in the dark as the Ghost Investigation Wing. And, Danny knows that trying to convince them about anything is a useless endeavor.

He loves them, but their dogma about ghosts could compromise the operation. It's best to keep them as far from this as he possibly can.

Things may be changing at a rapid rate, but Danny is no stranger to things suddenly being flipped on their head. He's made it this far, and now it's time to start taking action. He's been observant long enough.

For the sake of the world, Danny will face any foe. Human, ghost, or anything in between.


	7. The Paranoia

"I can't believe we have to hang with the freak trio because of this stupid situation," Wes grumbles, holding his textbooks with an iron grip.

"Says the guy everyone thinks is crazy," Sam scoffs as a rebuttal. "Trust me, I'm only letting the two of you close because Danny thinks you're trustworthy, but I'm watching both of you."

"Come on guys, we can save the hostility for after school. We don't know what ears could be listening," Danny bites in turn. He takes his own books out of his locker before shutting the metal door, a loud squeaking noise accompanying the motion.

The five of them move down the halls of Casper High. Sam has the need as usual, with Danny and Tucker close behind. Wes and Valerie trail further still, not liking the side eyes and weird glances the student body are giving the group as they walk.

"Well, guess I really can kiss rejoining the popular kids goodbye, for good," Valerie mutters under her breath.

"Aside from maybe Star, they're really a bunch of jerks anyway," Danny replies in earnest. He then lowers his voice, "I'm pretty sure the both of you can sacrifice your popularity for the sake of the multiverse anyway."

"I know, I know. It was just… nice while it lasted," Valerie sighs, idly scratching the loose binding in one of her textbooks. "It was a pile of lies, and I get that, but it's all I ever knew before this ghost hunting thing took over my life. Even if they are a bunch of jerks, I find myself missing hanging around them."

"Well, hey. You have us now, right? We're no league of super rich and strong kids, but I'm sure we're gonna be a lot more interesting," Danny smiles in her direction.

"Well, I mean, Sam's loaded, but I didn't find that out until Freshman Year," Tucker quips with a chuckle, before getting an elbow in the gut from the aforementioned goth.

"We don't judge anyone for anything around here," Danny affirms, sighing and shaking his head.

Valerie curses herself for thinking this guy to be so darn cute and innocent in public. He lied to her to save his own ass after ruining her life. Yet, watching Danny in public, even with the weight of his secrets now brought to life, she still sees the nerdy dweeb she grew to like.

Conflicting feelings stir in her head as she sees Danny banter with his old friends, just like he always had, with or without Phantom in the mix. Valerie doesn't know if she should be relieved it wasn't all lies, or irritated that such a good guy could cause so much ruin in the wake of small mistakes.

"Well, yeah. Maybe it is better this way. Sure, we're all in on some big thing, but our friendship doesn't ride on anyone's wealth or looks, it's kind of nice," Valerie finally decides.

"Now you're getting it," Sam chuckles. "And I'm not loaded, Tucker. It's my parents money, not mine. If I wanted a fortune, I'd make it myself under my own name using my own hard work."

"Think that's gonna be today's life lesson?" Danny jokes, causing the main trio to burst into giggles.

"Trust me, dude. You're up dawn until dusk and overnight with your job, the last thing we need is a lesson in work ethic," Tucker adds.

Valerie joins in the second round of laughs, and she can even hear Wes snort beside her.

Yeah. Not so bad at all.

"Well then. If you didn't need a lesson in work ethic, I'm sure you're all informed enough to know you're late for class?" Mr. Lancer's condescending tone carries across the hall as he approaches the group.

The five of them share a look of panic before speed walking into the classroom, seeing as running in the halls is against school policy. The group shuffle into their seats as Lancer follows after, shutting the door and beginning attendance.

Tucker tosses a note onto Valerie's desk some way through the class, crumpled up and a bit illegible while Lancer has his back turned. Valerie in turn does her best to open it as quietly as possible.

_Hey Valerie! Welcome to Team Phantom! You know how long Danny's wanted you to be a part of the team?_

_Anyway, since you and Danny basically have the same horrible sleep habits, feel free to come meet us at Team Base after school! We do note exchanges so Danny can catch up on lost hours while the teachers talk._

_We can also do some initiation stuff so we can stay in contact with everyone in case of emergency. We're gonna keep you busy even in the middle of all this._

_Anyway, see you there!_

Valerie crumples the note again and sticks it in her backpack. A part of Team Phantom, huh? She always did want all the information Phantom.. er… Danny, could provide after she caught him that one time. Even if a bit late on the delivery, it looks like she's getting her wish after all.

Knowledge is power, after all. And Team Phantom's knowledge would make them the most powerful group of ghost hunters, not just in Amity Park, but the world.

And yet, here they all are. Sitting in a classroom like a normal group of kids. A rag-tag group of teens that look like they deal with studying as their biggest problem, not the affairs of the well being of the multiverse. It's almost amazing how well they've managed to hold themselves.

She never has this kind of bond with the A-Listers. Of course she didn't. The slip in her life with Phantom, er, Danny and that ghost dog, and they abandoned her when she needed them the most. Well, everyone except for Star. It was nice to have someone around after the fact at least.

She’s snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of soft snoring.

Danny is now splayed out on his desk, sleeping the day away in the middle of school. Valerie watches the halfa snooze like he just doesn’t care for the material, but knowing the truth, a new light is given to the situation.

They were out all night, talking about some kind of dimension ending warfare, revealing secrets, trying to coax the biggest jerk on the planet to their side because they have connections, and they still have to sit through class.

And that was just one night. It’s been three years of this, the constant late nights and ghost hunts. Seeing him sleep there unbothered by the world around him for just a little while has her becoming a bit jealous.

But, Valerie still has to finish school. She also has her job at the Nasty Burger to worry about, so she really can’t afford to pick up on Danny’s sleeping habits, no matter what the cost to her body. So, she carries on note taking.

All the while, as she sits there in class, a looming dread begins to set in. There’s a spy somewhere in the building, sitting pretty just like a normal student. Taking notes like a normal student and blending in just like the rest of the crowd. Keeping secrets under a mask of calm, just like she is right now.

Valerie finds herself looking around the room of students. It’s your typical classroom. The jocks muttering among themselves about sports or girls or what have you, the pretty girls doing their makeup while Lance continues talking, the exchange student they got last year hamming it up with the nerds. Not a thing out of place.

It makes it even scarier, to be honest. Danny Fenton had been her friend three years now, and she was none the wiser to his double life until yesterday, while he knew about hers the entire time, even before they were friends.  
How much did this snake already know? Waiting coiled in the grass to strike while everyone else goes on none the wiser? Is she really that oblivious?

No, no she won’t be fooled again. Someone in this building is hiding something, and she’ll do everything in her power to get them to talk, and shut down whatever shady government operation they’re a part of. It’s a vow.

“Mrs. Gray?” Lancer interrupts her thoughts. He has a very unamused look on his face as the shuffling of papers and quick footsteps show that people were leaving class. “If you would so kindly wake Mr. Fenton up so you can, oh I don’t know, make it to at least one class on time today?”

“Of course, Mr. Lancer,” Valerie quickly stands and starts shaking Danny’s shoulders. His skin feels cool under her fingers as she shakes him, another hint to the ghost in class all along. Every little thing he does is now tainted by his secret, glaring obviousness present in every moment she’s had with him.

“Come on Danny, up and at ‘em,” Valerie shakes him a little harder. His eyes finally snap open, swimming with green for the most faint of seconds. Anyone unaware of the truth might mistake it for a trick of the light, but Valerie now knows better.

It's a good thing that his friends are keeping notes, or Danny might be in an even worse position. If being a part of the team means she gets in on the group study, it just sweetens the deal, outside the desperate need of becoming a new member.

"Come on, sleeping beauty, we have to get to class," Valerie informs her sleeping companion, who gives a subtle hum of acknowledgment. He grabs his bag, and Valerie escorts him to the door.

The day continues in much the same way after that. Danny would sit in his desk for about three seconds before falling over in top of it, pencil lazily in his hand as he snoozes though every lecture he can manage. 

And yet, this is the same midnight vigilante with seemingly boundless energy and a quick tongue, always coming out of nowhere at high speeds and ready to fight. Danny really is in a class all his own, and he's probably sleeping through that one as well.

Luckily, no ghosts decide to show up or attack the town today. Small miracles like this are rare, and Valerie is glad to have some reprieve from hunting in order to let everything sink in.

She also discovers that Danny is adorable when he's asleep.

No, wait, scratch that. He's not cute. He ruined her life, lied to her and now he's trying to pick up the scraps of their supposed friendship and glue it back together. Their alliance is based purely on necessity and he is not cute, not in the slightest.

But, he snores like a kitten.

Shut up brain. It's probably just his Spectral Influence or whatever the heck he called it yesterday. His powers are just trying to manipulate her again, unconscious or not.

The bell rings not long after that train of thought. School was over, and it was time to meet Team Phantom at the hill to solidify the alliance. You know, after Danny wakes up. 

If Valerie didn't know any better, he'd sleep through an entire invasion of ghosts if he didn't have this sixth sense of knowing when they're coming. Still, they have work to do. He can sleep in class, but he needs to be up for stopping the apocalypse.

"Come on, Fenton. Up and at it, it's time to go meet up with everyone." Valerie shakes him awake again, for like the fifth time today. Danny looks up at her bleary eyed and gives her a small nod of confirmation.

"You wanna go… go together? You know… since we're headed to the same spot?" He offers timidly, though he stifles a yawn after a second.

"Sure… I'll just get my stuff from my locker." Valerie replies nonchalantly.

"Ok. I'll meet you behind the dumpster." Danny gives her a soft smile before he walks away.

Valerie watches him go. Normal and human in every way on the outside, but inside lies his dark secret. And knowing that secret has thrown her world through a dizzying loop. Everything he says and does now is corrupted by one simple fact. He's not normal, not human.

But, as she watches him go, she can't help but think that it's not as bad as she's making it out to be. Not anymore. Sure, their friendship is in ruins due to that tiny, nagging fact, but Valerie can tell. Some part of her can feel that he wants to be proper friends again.

She looks down at her own hand, feeling the metal crawling under her skin. Her suit exists throughout her, even if she isn't donning it. It's still there, in her blood and her bones. She'd grown used to the feeling, but seeing Danny change from one thing to another has it nagging in the back of her head.

She's not normal. Maybe she isn't human anymore, either.


End file.
